Education, compliance key priorities for Labor before social media ban kicks in on December 10
Claims of a rushed timeline for Labor’s new social media laws have been dismissed, with Anika Wells highlighting a key detail in its enforcement.
Anika Wells has hit out at claims of a rushed timeline for the social media ban, by highlighting the onus on companies, not parents, to comply with the new laws.
From December 10, social media platforms Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, and Kick will become age restricted, with accounts for those under 16 deactivated or deleted.
Given the laws were legislated last year, the social media platforms, who at the time were eligible or likely to be considered a restricted platform, have now had 12 months notice to prepare, the communications minister told reporters in Canberra.
Asked why the updated list of platforms, including Reddit and Kick, was only announced last week, Ms Wells said the government acknowledged the laws were a “big change”.
“We provided that list last week to give parents clarity … we want people to feel informed and to have these discussions with their kids.
“The onus is not on parents to deliver the support.
“The onus is on the social media platforms who have had 12 months to work with the eSafety Commissioner … these companies deal with eSafety and the eSafety Commissioner every single week.
“This is the core business for them, every single week.”
More than 200,000 people visited the eSafety website after the national education campaign launched, Ms Wells said.
“That is a 20 time increase in the number of usual weekly traffic,” she added, before saying: “Our social media laws are not a cure, but they are a treatment plan.”
She had met with a dozen children from a local school, claiming many were “looking forward to change” despite its significance, Ms Wells said.
“I heard from people like Peyton, who already has a plan to use the time she will be having free of social media to learn Aussie rules football.
“I heard from people like Alex, he is looking forward to learning how to bake.
“Some students also decided that they might use the time to learn a language.
“These are just some of the opportunities away from the persuasive pull of social media accounts.”
PM warns ban “not perfect”
Anthony Albanese has warned Australia’s new social media ban will not be perfect as the nation prepares for the world-first laws to take effect in four weeks.
Spruiking the advantages of the ban on morning radio, the Prime Minister was asked about concerns teenagers could get around the ban.
“We’re not saying it will be perfect,” he told KIIS FM.
“Just as a ban on alcohol for under 18s, you can’t go into a pub and order beer. The truth is, every now and again, chances are last weekend, there were some breaches of that.
“That doesn’t mean that society doesn’t say that’s what the rules should be.”
The campaign to restrict children’s access to social media wasn’t a government one, Mr Albanese said, but instead sprung up as a result of grassroots activism.
“It’s come from parents who’ve lost their young son or daughter and who’ve taken that trauma and channelled it into trying to make sure that other parents and other families don’t go through the loss of a young one,” he said.
“It is quite just inspirational.”
Getting young people engaged and involved in the transition process, while empowering parents, was also crucial, he said.
“I had a young girl from Tasmania, Flossie, or Florence, come into Parliament House last week,” Mr Albanese said.
“She was 12 years old, and what she’d done with all her peers is get them to write down what they could do instead of being on their devices.
“They could be listening to the radio, they could be playing sport, they could learn a musical instrument, they could be talking to their friends, everything that they could be doing instead of being constantly connected to social media.”
Mr Albanese also recounted memories of his own childhood in Camperdown, describing it as a “simpler time” but still indicative of a future that kids off social media could look forward to.
“There was a lot of concrete where I grew up in Camperdown, and there one little grassy area between a big block of flats, Johanna O’Dea, for anyone aware of that area in Camperdown.
“Kids would go down there on a Sunday morning, and you’d be kicking the footy or playing cricket or just sitting around chatting or mucking around
“You’d know that one, you had to be home at for lunch, and two, when it got dark, you had to go home and have dinner.
“It was simpler times, of course, but we managed to communicate and managed to get on, and it was a pretty good way of building relationships with people.
”Some of those kids that I played with at that age are still friends of mine all these years later.”
Mr Albanese highlighted that much of the world was watching how the novel reforms would work in Australia, including Denmark, which recently announced a similar social media ban for anyone aged under 15.
“A bunch of countries are coming on board with this, saying, ‘Yes, we agree that something’s got to be done here’.”
Originally published as Education, compliance key priorities for Labor before social media ban kicks in on December 10
